Existing devices that enable users to emboss Braille have traits that make them not ideal for use as a Braille label maker. First, many such devices are large, heavy, and/or bulky. Thus, they are not easily portable. Some portable Braille label makers use a dial that must be manually turned to select the characters to be embossed. The dial takes longer to operate than a Braille keyboard and also does not include many characters that are used in shorthand Braille. In addition, existing Braille label makers are unreliable and produce poor quality labels. At least one reason why these Braille label makers produce poor quality labels is because the user provides the force that creates the Braille dots on the label. Since the user must provide substantial force to produce each Braille dot, the emboss of the Braille dots is inconsistent, leading to a poor quality embossing. In addition, existing Braille label makers waste a lot of labeling tape by cutting the labels far from the edge of the Braille cell. Finally, Braille label makers that emboss on adhesive tape typically do not score the tape for easy peeling.
Thus, there is a need for an improved Braille labeler that is portable, quick to learn and use, is not dependent on the force applied by the user, and reliably produces Braille dots of a consistent size. In addition, there is a need for a Braille labeler that minimizes the waste of labeling tape and scores the adhesive labels for easy application.